Article submitted by R.S.When my friend texted me upset after trying on clothes, my first reaction was to giggle. Obvious I felt sad she was going through a rough time, no that is NOT why I laughed! Basically, I had that urge to just laugh because who among us has not been brought to tears in a dressing room. There’s some nice ones, granted, but most are pretty darn bad, and the ones that are bad, tend to be really really bad.

Why? Um, hello–crappy lighting, tilted mirrors that make you look wider and distorted, everything on display, you’re trying on a bunch of different sizes (in a world with vanity sizing, no less). You would think retailers would have figured this out by now and have nice dressing ones, but even the big names don’t always nail it. And if it sucks at some high-end boutique or department store, it only gets worse when you are in some cheap, trashy store like Forever 21 (don’t get me wrong–I love it, but face it, that dress will last you about half a wear)–everything ends up being cramped and hot and sweaty. GROSS.

A suggestion I’ve heard is simply avoid them at all costs. With online shopping and places that have and easy return policy, sure, this might be a great idea. But that isn’t always the most affordable, feasible, or sometimes even possible option. Soooo, when you absolutely most face the dreaded dressing room, here’s some tips:

Ask the salesperson for a pair of heels to try on (WITHOUT AN ANKLE STRAP). It’ll help you feel more confident elongate everything. Ankle straps will just cut you off at your leg.

Try on the largest sizes first. That way, if something is tiny and doesn’t fit, you don’t have to be dissapointed when you ask for the next size up. Sizes are stupid anyways because they aren’t standardized and today’s size 8 was yesterday’s size 2 and tomorrow’s size 00. So don’t hold you’re stock in them. Actually, when I shop, sometimes I don’t even look for sizes–I’ll just hold up a pair of jeans or a shirt and see if it looks to be my size. (Try this–you’ll be surprised how much better and accurately this works than by going by a size–and then you only have to try it on once!)

Look in the mirror as little as possible–and only when clothed. Rather, try using other people’s opinions like a trusted friend (I wouldn’t trust most salespeople to be that honest…) and use the big mirror that stores sometimes have outside of a dressing room (even target has this!)

Dressing rooms can be really hard for a lot of people–they’re are one of my. biggest. triggers. My suggestion isn’t to use these tips as a crutch and avoid every mirror and always wear stillettos, etc, but especially when you’re struggling big time, these can be super helpful!

Article submitted by R.S. My eating disorder used to thrive on my phone. I had an eating disorder “folder” filled with apps that let me obsessively track calories, look at triggering stuff on Tumblr, etc. It wasn’t healthy at ALL.

And I read an article placing a lot of blame on technology because of this, yet, despite my experience, I’m going to have to actually disagree. Why?

Because now I have a “recovery” folder, and I really think it has the potential to be just as helpful as the old folder was triggering. And because of this, I really think that it depends on the emotional state of the person. Yeah, technology can exacerbate the issue, but that isn’t going to happen if a person simply just doesn’t have an eating disorder! And technology can be incredibly helpful as well. The app that pushed me to write this article is called “Recovery Record.” I could go on and on about how amazing this app is, but that would probably be really boring, so I won’t. I honestly don’t think it could be triggering to any person in any way, and it is just so supportive and encouraging.

Some things I LOVE about it (soooo not a complete list):

Today it told me to “challenge yourself on the good days, and play it safe on the bad day”. Great sentiment by the way, and it really made me realize that I’m not a “failure” for not, say, eating a Big Mac when I’m having a crappy day!

It lets you connect with your treatment team

you write down your food (oh, you can also input your meal plan), but you ALSO write your mood, etc. You can even use an exchange program!

it gives you songs and puzzle pieces and cute pictures!

It has a list of coping strategies

It’s great for all kinds of eating disorders

It isn’t triggering whatsoever

It helps you recognize/identify your behavior

It gives ACTUALLY GOOD NOT CHEESY goals and challenges, so it turns my energy into something else.

Much better than recording what I ate on a piece of paper

It’s just so fun and positive!So whether you have an e.d. or not, whether you need to lose/gain/maintain, whatever, this is the most well thought out and positive app–I can’t believe it’s free!